Choking the escape
Traffic jam in Tirthan valley
Published in Deccan Herald's Spectrum here. The unedited version placed below.
Thanks are due to the team at Deccan Herald and Himalayan Ecotourism.
Gushaini, in the lower Tirthan valley of Kullu district (Himachal
Pradesh), is synonymous with the Great Himalayan National Park (GHNP).
Till a few years ago broadly two categories of people used to visit the valley.
Those seeking the peaks and valleys of GHNP – be it for treks, wildlife
sightings, silences or else - and the anglers lured by trout in the Tirthan
river! Their numbers were low; read manageable. Today, their numbers have been
overtaken by the quintessential tourist. Those who come – with friends or
family - looking for a good time, away from where s/he stays. These include
people coming for weekends and those who add Gushaini to other destinations
nearby or not so nearby.
This summer I visited Gushaini after a gap of few years. Tourism,
and a lot else that goes with it, appeared to have risen manifold, during this
period. A recent government report
also
points to the rising tourist numbers in Himachal Pradesh and highlights Kullu
as one of the two districts which ‘registered
a significant increase’. On one of the days we got stuck in the traffic on
the road from Banjar (the tehsil headquarter) to Gushaini! As we slowly
made our way we came across recent constructions on both sides of the river. On
another day, two cars that stopped to ask us directions – as we enjoyed the
drizzle - had windows shut and air conditioners on! All this left me wondering
and I tried to understand what was happening in the valley and whether it was
limited to the valley.
Two unconnected actions appear to have aided this spurt
in numbers in the valley. One is the UNESCO tag
acquired by the GHNP.
This has brought significant media coverage for the place. Today many of the
properties (home-stays, guest-houses or
tents) also have UNESCO and GHNP in their titles! I am not sure how much of
this was envisaged when pushing for the tag! Another and possibly having greater
impact is the home stay scheme of the state government which has picked up in
the valley. Avay Shukla, former additional chief secretary to Himachal Pradesh
government, had in his article ‘Govt
needs to be proactive in the Tirthan valley’, referred to the
scheme as ‘a spectacular success’; ‘one
which achieved twin objectives of tourist dispersal and livelihood creation in
rural areas’. He added that, ‘preserving the natural environment from
its excesses was a challenge’. Sanju, who has been guiding treks in the
area, for more than a decade, said that the Tirthan valley today boasts of more
than 50 home-stays. More are coming up and some as far as 15 kms further ahead
of Gushaini. At best, he added, one in five meet the norms stipulated.
So what happens when tourist numbers race way ahead of
systems, rules and infrastructure? Let us take the case of waste-management. Keshav,
head of a co-operative that organizes treks, mentioned that not only had disposing
trash in the river become common but some of the properties also discharged
sewage directly into the river. A river they used to drink water of, not long ago.
To top it most of the properties are located on the river bank. Majority of
those thronging the place (read Indians)
are averse to walking and prefer properties on the road. And, the road in
Gushaini, snakes along the river. Complaints pertaining to waste and sewage
disposal are made to the respective authorities but in most cases no action is
taken. It appeared that it was easier to fine tourists than to charge locals! ‘Local
politics’, Keshav said, ‘was to be blamed’. In the few days that I
was in the valley I heard this line frequently; and interestingly, from locals.
The scenario, unfortunately, is not very different across
the state. The situation in the bigger and better-known places is only far grimmer.
This year the heat-wave which hit northern India during summer exacerbated the
situation as it led the tourist numbers in the state to go further north. Sylvester
Tamang writes, “Tourist
destinations like Manali, Rohtang, Dalhousie, Dharamsala and Shimla are clogged
with waste material, all thanks to irresponsible tourists. Plastic bottles,
wrappers of toffees, chips and biscuits are a common sight.” Suresh
Sharma brings in numbers “ Manali
usually generates around 30-40 tonnes of waste every day during peak tourist
season and with 10 lakh tourists flocking the tourist spot in May and June,
over 2,000 tonnes of garbage was left behind”. “The statistics”, to quote Poornima
Joshi, “tell a sad
story in these hills”. “The tipping
point”, she adds, “may already have
been reached”. And, waste-management is just one of the issues which
tourism has left us struggling with. The list (of issues) also includes shortage
of water and absence
of parking space.
Coming back to GHNP I was stuck with questions. Today, majority
of those who visit GHNP do not venture beyond Rolla, a point not far from the
boundary. Locals whom I interacted with raised concerns with over-crowding at
Rolla. With new roads coming up these numbers are only expected to rise further.
What if, tomorrow, 3 more Rollas come up? Given GHNP’s difficult terrain and
that it neither has motorable roads nor allows ponies the number of people
going inside (beyond Rolla) may not go up significantly but does GHNP
have a plan for tourism in the areas abutting the park boundary? Does some of
the trash land up inside the park boundary? Are the decision makers and
influencers concerned that rivers flowing from the peaks inside are being fed
with trash and sewage not far from the boundary? Are they willing to do
something about it?
Indian’s need to get out and enjoy the mountains and
rivers. Economy can also do with some help from tourism. There is little to
debate on these. The current madness, however, warrants a method. If we are
able to bring in one, and in time, it may still not be too late to prevent the Gushainis
and Jibhis (also a valley in Kullu) from becoming Shimlas and Manalis. And
the onus is not just on the authorities!
: Previously published pieces on the landscape :
Treks in GHNP: Sanctuary Asia - Deccan Herald
Book Review: First Post
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